Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011;6(8):e23398.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023398. Epub 2011 Aug 8.

Persistence of environmental DNA in freshwater ecosystems

Tony Dejean  1 , Alice Valentini, Antoine Duparc, Stéphanie Pellier-Cuit, François Pompanon, Pierre Taberlet, Claude Miaud
Affiliations

Persistence of environmental DNA in freshwater ecosystems

Tony Dejean et al. PLoS One. 2011.

Abstract

The precise knowledge of species distribution is a key step in conservation biology. However, species detection can be extremely difficult in many environments, specific life stages and in populations at very low density. The aim of this study was to improve the knowledge on DNA persistence in water in order to confirm the presence of the focus species in freshwater ecosystems. Aquatic vertebrates (fish: Siberian sturgeon and amphibian: Bullfrog tadpoles) were used as target species. In control conditions (tanks) and in the field (ponds), the DNA detectability decreases with time after the removal of the species source of DNA. DNA was detectable for less than one month in both conditions. The density of individuals also influences the dynamics of DNA detectability in water samples. The dynamics of detectability reflects the persistence of DNA fragments in freshwater ecosystems. The short time persistence of detectable amounts of DNA opens perspectives in conservation biology, by allowing access to the presence or absence of species e.g. rare, secretive, potentially invasive, or at low density. This knowledge of DNA persistence will greatly influence planning of biodiversity inventories and biosecurity surveys.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have read the journal's policy and have the following conflicts: Two authors (Tony Dejean and Alive Valentini) are working for a private company (SPYGEN) but this does not alter the adherence of all authors to all the PLoS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. DNA detectability in water according to time.
DNA detectability in water in control conditions (a) and in natural conditions (b) according to the time elapsed since the DNA source removal.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Harvey CT, Qureshi SA, MacIsaac HJ. Detection of a colonizing, aquatic, non-indigenous species. Divers Distrib. 2009;15:429–437.
    1. Margurran AE. Measuring Biological Diversity. Malden: Blackwell Science; 2004.
    1. Mehta SV, Haight RG, Homans FR, Polasky S, Venette RC. Optimal detection and control strategies for invasive species management. Ecol Econ. 2007;61:237–245.
    1. Smith DR. Survey design for detecting rare freshwater mussels. J N Am Benthol Soc. 2006;25:701–711.
    1. Ficetola GF, Miaud C, Pompanon F, Taberlet P. Species detection using environmental DNA from water samples. Biol Letters. 2008;4:423–425. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types